a city of Cambridgeshire, capital of that division. of the county called the Isle of Ely. See CAMBRIDGE- shire. The city stands on a considerable eminence near the Ouse, 16 miles N.N.E. of Cambridge. It consists chiefly of one long street, and the houses are mostly old. A mo- nastery was founded here about 670; but in 870 it was pil- laged and destroyed by the Danes, and was not rebuilt till about a century later. In 1107 Ely was erected into a bishopric by Henry I. After the dissolution of the mo- nasteries Henry VIII. converted the conventual church into a cathedral. This edifice displays a singular mixture of various styles of architecture; but taken as a whole, it is a noble structure. The interior is exceedingly beautiful, and contains many interesting monuments. It has recently been almost entirely restored. The length of the building is 517 feet, and the western tower is 270 feet high. St Mary's church is a handsome building, partly in the Nor- man, and partly in the early English style of architecture. The church of the Holy Trinity, which is attached to the cathedral, was commenced in the reign of Edward II., and is one of the most perfect buildings of that age. Ely has also places of worship for Independents, Baptists, Method- ists, &c.; a grammar-school founded by Henry VIII.; na- tional, charity, and other schools; mechanics' institute, sav- ings-bank, a house of correction, and infirmary. There is a considerable manufactory of earthenware and tobacco pipes, and there are several mills in the isle for the pre- paration of oil from flax, hemp, and cole-seed. Market- day Thursday. Pop. (1851) 6176. The soil in the vici- inity is very fertile, and cultivated chiefly by market gar- deners, who send large quantities of fruit and vegetables to the London market.